All the infrastructure we’ve built over hundreds of years is under threat. Buildings and bridges all over the world are now buckling under extreme heat, wildfires, storms and floods, making clear just how unprepared our energy and transportation systems are to withstand the volatility of climate change.
These vulnerabilities have been on full display recently as record-breaking heat boils much of the world, straining power grids, draining water supplies, and even warping roads and runways. July was the hottest month ever recorded, as intense heat seared Europe, North Africa, South America (where it’s currently winter), and even Antarctica. The world’s oceans haven’t been spared, as all-time high surface temperatures in the Mediterranean and North Atlantic continue to bleach and decimate coral reef systems and threaten marine life.
“The real challenge is that so far, we’re nowhere near addressing climate change with the seriousness that is required to really move the needle. If we don’t actually do the hard work of deeply addressing this, then it will continue to get worse. We will see more years like this one, and then eventually years that are significantly worse than this one.”
-Daniel Swain, climate scientist at UCLA
Side Items
Boo This Man: An interesting read on Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, the diminutive military leader who promised Egyptians a fresh start after the chaotic 18 months beginning with the revolution against longtime leader Hosni Mubarak in late January 2011. Instead of prosperity, Sisi has overseen the continuous and lethal demise of an entire country. The man who claimed his goal was to rescue Egypt is instead overseeing its ruin. Inflation is running rampant at almost 37% and a single American dollar fetches 30 Egyptian pounds (it was only ~7 pounds/dollar when Sisi came to power.) Egypt’s international debt is almost $163 billion, and its overall debt is projected to reach nearly 93% of its GDP in 2023
Hawaiian Aftermath: People in the Hawaiian town of Lahaina are still recovering after the horrific inferno ripped through their community last week. The death toll from the wildfires rose to 93 yesterday, officially making this the deadliest US wildfire in more than 100 years. Local officials said the death toll is likely to climb further as search teams continue to sift through the ruins of Lahaina. The resort town of more than 12,000 people has been reduced to ruins, its lively hotels and restaurants turned to ashes. The cost to rebuild Lahaina was estimated at $5.5 billion, according to FEMA, as more than 2,200 structures were damaged or destroyed and more than 2,100 acres burned